The operators and passengers of vehicles, particularly long-distance truck drivers, often desire to drink liquids, contained in drinking containers, while driving or riding. Further, the operators and passengers of vehicles desire to rest the drinking containers at times when they are not drinking therefrom. However, due to the motion imparted to the vehicle while in use, it is not possible, without any special holder, to securely rest a drinking container in a vehicle. Without a special holder, the drinking container is likely to tip over and spill while the vehicle is in motion.
Several devices have been proposed for supporting and positioning drinking containers in vehicles in a manner to prevent the drinking container from tipping over and spilling while the vehicle is in motion. As an example, devices have been proposed for supporting and positioning drinking containers wherein the devices include a receptacle for receiving the bottom of the drinking container. These devices are typically constructed to be supported by the vehicle, such as, for example, intermediate the passenger and driver.
However, these devices typically include a single receptacle for receiving a drinking container having a bottom of a predetermined diameter. When drinking containers having a bottom of a diameter either larger or smaller than the receptacle are used by the operator or passenger of the vehicle, then the drinking container is still likely to tip and spill while the vehicle is in motion. Further, although some of these devices have more than one receptacle, they usually have only one size for the receptacles. Accordingly, even devices having more than one receptacle are unable to accommodate drinking containers that have bottoms of a different diameter than that of the receptacles.
Still further, many prior art devices for supporting and positioning drinking containers in a vehicle only provide receptacles for receiving the bottom of the drinking container. Using these devices, the drinking container is capable of tipping and spilling even when the receptacle is sized to fit the diameter of the drinking container. This is because when the drinking container is full, the center of gravity is raised above the top of the receptacle far enough so that the drinking container is easily tipped.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a holder that is capable of being used with drinking containers having varying diameters. Further, it is desirable to provide a holder for drinking containers wherein the holder prevents the container from spilling even when the container is full. Still further, it is desirable to provide a holder for drinking containers wherein the holder is capable of being used with drinking containers of varying diameters and is capable of supporting the drinking containers even when the containers are full.